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1990 Audi V8 Quattro

The predecessor to the modern A8 luxury sedan, the V8 Quattro was Audi’s answer to the BMW 7-series, and the Mercedes-Benz S-class. The Audi V8 was purpose built to be the ‘flagship’ offering for Audi, and served to elevate the image of Audi to that of a serious luxury contender.

With top of the line amenities, and V8 power this well preserved 1990 V8 Quattro is a pristine example of the gentleman’s sedan.

1990 Audi V8 Quattro on craigslist.com

This is an opportunity to own a rare Audi V8 Quattro. This car is unique because it is over 22 years old but still looks and drives like it is brand new. This car only has 34,800 miles on it! I am the second owner of the car and have taken excellent care of it. This car has been dealer serviced its entire existence and I have the records to show it. The car had a complete timing belt service done about 5k miles ago at the local Audi dealer. The car also got new tires all around 5k miles ago. This car is very powerful and is comfortable and quiet. With the legendary Quattro all wheel drive this car is extremely stable in any road condition. You will never again be stranded when it snows it Seattle. Last winter I drove it through 8 inches of snow and the car never lost traction. The car had a professional exterior detail 3 months ago so the paint shines like new. There are not any dents on any part of the body. The engine purrs and doesn’t leak a drop of any fluid. I would like to see this vehicle go to an Audi enthusiast who will continue to take excellent care of this vehicle. With the extremely low mileage and recent timing belt service this car could be a reliable vehicle for many more years.
Call, Email, or Text 206-227-4759

These cars are the definition of a tank for the roads. The combination of V8 power, Quattro AWD, and an almost 2 ton curb weight, there was little that mother nature could throw at it that would phase it. The rarity and relative obscurity of these cars means that you hardly ever see them around, they just were never as popular as their German counterparts. These cars are valued in the $5,500 to $6,000 range making the $8,500 asking price tough to swallow, but in this condition, with such low miles, a premium must be paid. If this car were in the $7500 range, I’d be more apt to buy, and if it were the rare 5 speed, I’d already be on a plane.

-Brian

9 Comments

  1. URSDRIVER
    URSDRIVER September 20, 2012

    Unfortunately it’s a 3.6L as well and not the later 4.2. Very nice, well built cars with the same Achilles heal of most every V8 powered late model Audi; a very weak and very expensive to replace ZF auto slush-box. Nice a to see any Type 44 in this kind of condition but the 1991 200 20v is just a much better car.

  2. Sam
    Sam September 20, 2012

    Nice find! I love these. Like any Audi from that era, there can’t be many left, and much less in good shape and with low miles like this. I had a serious case of V8 Quattro fever a while ago and could not find one out there close to this when I was searching. The main thing for me is the body, since there are so few left when you do see one it looks like some lost Audi design. It’s very conservative and yet evolutionary and a classic of that era. This example looks like it’s both show and go. I think the color is burgundy, not the best V8Q color and the owner might have played with the photo tone so it’s hard to tell exactly, but you can’t be picky if you really want one. The only downsides I foresee would be reliability, finding parts, and the cost of parts and repairs. Also, this was replaced by a similar but superior car in the A8, so sellers have to come up with good cases as to why a buyer wouldn’t just find an A8, which can be had in the same price range or less. The V8Q are really only attractive to me ultimately at the right price. It’s understandable why the seller has priced it so high, but you’re still getting a bid old German car. Will it be up for rigorous everyday driving? Hemmings CPI Value Guide estimates a ’90 V8 Quattro in excellent condition at only $4,400 and in good condition at $2,250.

  3. URSDRIVER
    URSDRIVER September 20, 2012

    Any value guide goes out the window when you have 35k museum piece. I think the asking price is fair considering the rarity and condition. Unfortunately the perceived market value disappears after another 30k miles. While these cars are rock solid, classy and unstoppable in the snow there is nothing exiting about driving them, so the maintenance cost is not really justified in my book. After a 5 speed and 4.2 swap it would be.

  4. RwHArch
    RwHArch September 20, 2012

    Should we ask if this car still has the original UFO front brakes, or was it converted to a G50 setup? I will be working on my ’90 V8 quattro 3.6L 5 speed this winter and will be facing that very question; whether to keep the almost irreplaceable inside out brake system or find a front strut and brake setup from a S6.

    Look back at the early 1990’s Trans-Am and IMSA sedan series, these ruled until they were ruled out.

  5. Larry
    Larry September 20, 2012

    While it’s more than I might be want to pay, it’s probably priced reasonably for it’s rarity, condition and mileage. The question is how long the seller will need to wait to find that target buyer – someone who either has a connection with this model (maybe they had or wanted one before), or otherwise appreciates it enough to pay that premium. If you simply “value compare” the V8 to a 1st gen A8, you aren’t the target buyer for this car.

    I think the V8 design still makes a statement two decades later. The 1st gen A8 was a bit more generic looking (kind of a big jelly bean), and subsequent generations have made 1st gen A8’s look a bit dated in comparison.

  6. Carter J
    Carter J September 20, 2012

    UrS – the 4.2 received a transmission cooler and didn’t have the issues the early cars did. I had a 93 with 270,000 miles on the original transmission and never-apart motor, and had zero issues. But, being this is a 3.6, you’re right. The 3.6 is pretty mushy compared to the 4.2, but is still a solid performer. Wish it was a 91 5 speed and not black….but then, I don’t have the money to get it now anyway.

  7. Carter J
    Carter J September 20, 2012

    RwHArch – it’s Girling G60s and they came on multiple cars, including the later V8 quattros. You wouldn’t have to find just S6 pieces. Also, the V8s were never run in SCCA or IMSA – they only ran in DTM until they were banned not for quattro, but for the flat crank they were running. SCCA featured 200 Turbo Quattros and later Audi switched to running a 90 20V Turbo Quattro in IMSA. Sorry to nit-pick.

  8. RwHArch
    RwHArch September 20, 2012

    Carter J – As I typed I thought that I should check to make sure I was recalling correctly , I didn’t and hence I now stand (or sit more accurately) corrected. No offence taken. I do recall that the crankshafts were manufactured as a flat plane crank that was then bent for the production cars then for the race cars the crankshafts were then re-bent (unbent?)(back?) into a flat plane crank. The V8 became a pair of parallel four cylinder engines sharing a common crankshaft. The powers that be were having none of that and disallowed it…. so Audi packed their tents and went elsewhere.
    I did do a little research to discover that, as you stated, several other models used the G60 calipers and I should take a closer look at the 10V 200 quattro and the 5000cs turbo quattro I have. Perhaps they have something to offer.

  9. URSDRIVER
    URSDRIVER September 21, 2012

    Carter, Don’t get me wrong I love Type 44’s, I owned a 200 20v for ten years but “zero issues” over 270K, common. To my knowledge most ZF transmission issues are directly related to Audi not specifying a service interval for fluid exchanges. Also G60’s are a practical conversion, but it’s a significant downgrade in braking performance, the V8 is the heaviest of all large chassis Audi’s of the era, and G60’s are barely adequate at best on lighter chassis’s. Fortunately this is one area these cars have solid aftermarket support if you’re willing to get some plus size wheels, Boxster or 993’s work awesome.

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